May 10, 2011

"Do you believe in the eternal goodness of the universe?" No

I was asked a question on Facebook the other day and I thought I'd share the conversation here.

The question was"Do you believe in the eternal goodness of the universe?"

My reply:

"Goodness" is a purely human construct. The universe is neither "good" nor "bad". It is emotionless. Goodness is simply a label we affix to things to categorize them according to our emotional perspective of them.

P's comment:
Used to think that way when i was in earthbound objectivist mode,but yet if you consider that immortal human-like consciousness imay be just as necessary as matter and energy ,for existence to axiomatically exist ,then in that context ,the human construct of goodness is thus elevated into the controlling element of existence...

Aristotle's Muse:
There is nothing that would indicate any kind of human like consciousness is at all necessary for the universe to exist. We are biochemical machines that function according to the laws of physics. Kind of like a mobile computer made of meat. Matter and energy exist because they are fundamental building blocks of the physical universe. Consciousness is not a fundamental building block of the universe, it is a word we've ascribed to an aspect of part of the biochemical machines that we call humans.

Aristotle's Muse:
And if you're referring to a consciousness such as a god like consciousness, you're still making an unfounded assumption. Not only is there nothing that would indicate that the universe would in any way be reliant on such a consciousness, but there is nothing that would suggest there is such a consciousness.

Aristotle's Muse:
Hmm, that came off kind of harsh. Sorry about that.

P's comment:
Its ok ,i pushed you too it ,but i used to be exactly in the same mode as yourself ,exactly ...all i can say at this point is ,we diverge now from the same foundation ...i respect your views muse ,but now that my paradigm has shifted i cant... go back to the 2d flat earth ...and are you so certain that nothing indicates human like consciousness needs to exist ?that awfully lofty to make that proclamation ?btw yes i am suggesting just that :)

Aristotle's Muse:
What indications are there that humanlike consciousness is a fundamental structure of the universe?

P's comment:
quantum physics for one ,the eternal entropy growth death implosion/explosion of the universe that never has and never will complete itself (needs evidence ),the statistical fact that there are billions of earthlike planets capable of sustaining human consciousness and the necessary conclusion that any immortal consciousness can and will learn anything in existence and eventually control and create solar systems ..not to mention the other universes x ,y z axes on our plane near infinite in those vectors and of course infinite macro /micro vectors ...no time for debates muse,i respect your views and do not expect you to accept mine and hope we can mutually exist as fellow seekers of knowledge :)

Aristotle's Muse:
Agreed. This would be a long a drawn out debate. Right about this point is where every post in this thread would turn into a virtual dissertation. So, we'll just agree to disagree for sake of saving ourselves a whole lot of time and effort that would likely convince nobody but ourselves of anything. So, truce... (for now....) MUUAAH ha ha ha HAAA!

Now obviously I'm not going to address or refute any of the issues he brought up in his last post here on my blog. I'm not a dick, after all. I just thought I'd post it for you all to muse over yourselves.

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About Me

Aristotle's Muse was first and foremost created not primarily as a monetary vehicle, but rather as a means to propagate rationality and critical thinking in public spaces.

It is my sincerest hope that a lonely, non-theist child like I was will someday come into contact with one of my t-shirts or other materials and find comfort in knowing that he or she isn't so alone after all. That there are like minded people out there, and there is nothing wrong or wicked about knowing.